


Oasis

by LilacNoctua



Series: Worthwhile [7]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cuddles, Fluff, Gaara's greenhouse, Insomnia, Kissing, M/M, Mild Language, Romance, Sakura needs a raise, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:22:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacNoctua/pseuds/LilacNoctua
Summary: In the silent, purple predawn hours, Gaara awoke again and rolled out of bed, checked the hallway and then tiptoed over to Lee. Lee stirred, grumbling, as Gaara lifted the covers, but sighed sleepily and pulled Gaara close when he slid into the bed next to him. Gaara nestled his head under Lee’s chin, inhaling deeply at the base of his throat, rubbing his nose against the soft skin there."Hey, beautiful," Lee mumbled into his hair. "Morning already?""Not quite," Gaara whispered. "You can go back to sleep. I just woke up and wanted to be close to you."Despite the ongoing conflict, Gaara and Lee finally find some time to spend alone together.
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee
Series: Worthwhile [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729480
Comments: 81
Kudos: 138





	1. All the Time In the World

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This is Part 7 of my Worthwhile series and a sequel to [_Old Wounds_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25652368/chapters/62274424/). If you're following the plot, it will be better to read that one first. But if you're just here for some soft ninja cuddles, come right in, make yourself at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware that this chapter takes place in a hospital. Injuries and medical practices are mentioned but not described in detail. There is a brief discussion of one character's body image issues.

“What is that noise?!” Sakura shouted, bursting through the door of the hospital room. 

Lee froze in place, the utensils from his lunch tray poised over a makeshift drum set consisting of the metal bed rails, an overturned bowl, and a model of a human skull that had been pilfered from a doctor’s office during the night’s forays into the forbidden regions of the hospital. Gaara hurriedly hid his sand flute under his pillow.

“Oh. Um, hi, Sakura. When did you get here?” Lee asked as innocently as possible.

“Just now,” Sakura growled. “And I was immediately dragged here by the medical staff, who are at their  _ wit’s end _ , Rock Lee. Because their Kazekage-” she pointed accusingly at Gaara. “And his so-called  _ companion _ -” she jabbed her finger into the centre of Lee’s chest hard enough to bruise. “Won’t behave themselves for even five fucking minutes!”

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Sakura. “We’re bored.”

“Oh, is that it?” Sakura’s voice took on a tone that Lee knew meant serious trouble as she sauntered across the room to stand next to Gaara’s bed. “Well listen up,  _ Lord Kazekage  _ -” somehow she managed to make the title sound like an insult. “They’ve put me in charge of your care from here on out.” She whipped around to glare at Lee again. “Playtime is over!”

“It’s been almost four days,” Gaara ground out. “You can’t keep us here. We’re both fully recovered.”

“It says right here that you’re not,” Sakura argued, waving her chart under his nose. “Gaara, your chakra levels still are not where they should be since you went ahead and infused your sand with it before being given medical permission to do so. And Lee, it says you tore your muscle again trying to climb through the vents in the middle of the night. Like an idiot.”

“If they weren’t keeping us caged up in here with nothing to do, we wouldn’t have needed to do any of that,” Gaara growled.

Sakura ignored him, “I’m also told that the two of you have been roaming the hospital when you think the staff won’t catch you. Lee won’t stop training. Gaara is having his work smuggled in and when I find out who’s doing that there will be hell to pay. Yesterday you built a tent out of bed sheets, the day before that was the gurney incident, and apparently today you’ve decided to start a band.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Let me make something very clear to you both. You are on bed rest. That means you will stay in your beds and you won’t get out until I say so. And Lee, I’m surprised you would be such a bad influence on Gaara. He has to think about how his behaviour reflects on his political reputation, you know.”

“Don’t try that,” Gaara scoffed. “If your Hokage can drink, gamble, swear, and punch people through walls, my reputation will survive trying to escape a hospital so that I can do my job.”

“Alright then, let me put it this way,” Sakura snarled, bending so that she and Gaara were nearly nose to nose. “Any more of this nonsense and I’ll separate you two.”

Lee gasped but Gaara leaned back on his pillows and smiled. “No. That isn’t allowed.”

“You wanna bet?” Sakura threatened. 

“You don’t have the authority,” Gaara said calmly. “There’s a whole clause in the hospital staff handbook about care of the Kazekage. Read it.”

Sakura turned away for a moment and then faced Gaara again wearing a sweet, innocent smile. Lee tried to gesture surreptitiously to him that he should probably run.

“I’m sorry, Gaara,” Sakura said, wide eyed and earnest. “I’m not trying to antagonize you, really. I just want to make sure you get better.” She sat down on the edge of his bed and leaned in as though speaking for his ears alone. “As for Lee, you know, he’s a really dear friend of mine. He’s saved my life more than once so I always take extra care when patching him up after a mission. And well, Gaara, I’m just worried about his shoulder. I know he acts like it’s nothing but he might have permanently damaged it carrying you all that way.”

“What,” Gaara breathed, panic in his eyes. Lee flopped back on his pillows knowing the fight was lost.

“He always tries so hard to put on a brave face when he’s hurting,” Sakura whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “That’s probably why he’s trying to train, so you won’t guess how bad it actually is.”

“How bad is it?” Gaara asked, alarmed.

“Well,” Sakura whispered. “If he doesn’t sit still and let it heal right, he’ll lose some mobility in the arm, and risk re-tearing it with every fight.”

“No,” Gaara whispered. “I can’t let that happen.”

“I knew I could count on you, Gaara,” Sakura said, laying it on a bit thick now. “He’ll listen to you more than anybody else. Make sure he doesn’t move it around too much, at least for the next day or two.”

“Okay,” Gaara agreed quietly.

“Thank you,” Sakura patted his knee and flounced out of the room, sticking her tongue out at Lee when Gaara couldn’t see her face.

“She gets scarier every day,” Lee groaned. “Can you believe I had a crush on her when I was thirteen?”

“Did you actually?” Gaara asked, laughing. “When I was thirteen I had a crush on Naruto.”

“No way!” 

“It’s true. Kankuro says that terrible taste in men runs in the family.” 

Lee made a face at him. “I suppose Sakura has scared you and now we are just going to lie here and stare at the ceiling?” 

“Not quite.” Gaara slipped out of bed and hurried across the room to crowd in next to Lee. “She said stay in bed, but she didn’t say to stay in separate beds.”

“You are so smart,” Lee said, pulling Gaara closer. “This is why I love you so much.”

* * * * *

Gaara had slept non-stop for the first twenty four hours after Shikamaru had briefed them on the ambush and its aftermath. He had woken up, eaten so much food that even Choji was impressed, infused his sand with chakra (insisting that it would allow him to feel like himself again, despite the set back to his recovery), and then promptly passed out for another ten hours. Lee had passed the time contentedly, reading the books Kakashi had brought in, talking to friends who came by to visit, and staring at Gaara in silent admiration while occasionally checking to make sure he was still breathing. 

Gaara had not been able to sleep since. He spent the nights pacing around the hospital room like a tiger in a cage, poring over missions reports that Kankuro was sneaking into the hospital for him, and muttering to himself as he wrote absurdly long to-do lists. Lee had gamely tried to stay awake for the first night of this, but the constant restlessness had quickly taken a toll on him, causing him to spend the daylight hours oscillating between nodding off at strange times and being so wound up with excess energy that he practically bounced off the walls. On one occasion already it had caused him to dissolve into tears when Gaara woke him up for the third time in less than an hour. 

“Please,” Lee was saying now, watching the clock tick towards midnight. “I am begging you, Gaara. Try to go to sleep. Or at least just lay quietly and try to think soothing thoughts.”

“All I do all day is lie around!” Gaara complained. “And I have to have these team files made up for tomorrow’s mission desk. When am I going to do it if not now? For your sake though, I will try to be quieter. I don’t want to disturb you.”

“Thank you! I really need to sleep,” Lee mumbled into his pillow.

Gaara hesitated a moment. “Would it help if I tucked you in?”

“That might be nice.” Lee mumbled.

Gaara slipped out from under the pile of paperwork in his bed and came to stand next to Lee. Carefully, he tucked the blankets around Lee’s body, and leaned down to kiss him lightly on the tip of his nose. “Good night, Lee.”

“Night, Gaara. Love you.” Lee murmured.

The door flew open and Sakura strode in, declaring, “Caught in the act!”

“Tucking Lee into bed isn’t a crime,” Gaara protested. 

“No,” Sakura agreed. “But working when you’ve been ordered to rest is. Temari, get him.”

His sister followed Sakura into the hospital room and began gathering up the paperwork.

“Temari,” he growled. “I need something to do. I’m going crazy in here.”

“You have something to do,” Sakura pointed out. “Sleep.”

“I’ve tried!” Gaara insisted. “I can’t.”

Sakura tilted her head to the side. “Why didn’t you say so? I can give you something if you want?”

“Give me what?”

“A sleep aid. A drug that will make you sleep,” Sakura explained.

“You can do that?” Gaara asked incredulously. Sakura turned on her heel and marched out of the room, returning within seconds carrying a small cup full of viscous liquid that smelled of dried flowers. 

“It’s my own special recipe. Drink it and lay down,” she ordered. 

Gaara obeyed and fell asleep even as they watched. Lee breathed a sigh of relief and stuck his head out from under his pillow. 

“Thank you,” he whispered to Sakura as she left the room.

* * * * *

In the silent, purple predawn hours, Gaara awoke again and rolled out of bed, checked the hallway and then tiptoed over to Lee. Lee stirred, grumbling, as Gaara lifted the covers, but sighed sleepily and pulled Gaara close when he slid into the bed next to him. Gaara nestled his head under Lee’s chin, inhaling deeply at the base of his throat, rubbing his nose against the soft skin there. 

"Hey, beautiful," Lee mumbled into his hair. "Morning already?"

"Not quite," Gaara whispered. "You can go back to sleep. I just woke up and wanted to be close to you."

"Mm," Lee said, his hand rubbing Gaara's back in slow circles. "Missed you."

Gaara pressed himself up against Lee as close as he could manage. His high collared jacket and Lee's nearly indestructible jumpsuit had been taken away when they were checked in to the hospital and they were both wearing hospital issue pajamas; a thin shirt and a pair of loose drawstring pants. Gaara could feel the heat of Lee's skin through the fabric, slightly sweat damp beneath the blankets. 

"Your toes are like ice," Lee whispered, rubbing his own feet against Gaara's to create friction. 

“Sorry,” Gaara murmured, pressing a conciliatory kiss against Lee’s neck as he tucked his toes under the hems of Lee’s pant legs, seeking the warmth of his calves. Lee made a contented humming sound and pressed his lips clumsily against Gaara’s forehead. 

Gaara trailed his lips up Lee’s throat and brushed them across the growth of stubble on his jaw. Lee kept his patchy beard close shaven at all times but Gaara was beginning to find that he liked the way it was at the end of the day and early in the morning, when the stubble left his face feeling raw after they kissed. He liked the faint rasping sound it made against his teeth as he nibbled his way along Lee’s jaw, and for that matter he liked the way Lee squirmed when he did that, liked how one of Lee’s unbandaged hands splayed across his back and pressed him tightly up against his chest.  _ Really _ liked the small sound Lee made in the back of his throat as Gaara inched up the bed slightly to close his teeth around Lee’s earlobe.

Gaara raised himself up on his elbow, pushing Lee over onto his back, and swinging one leg over him as he continued to kiss and lick his way up Lee’s ear and then back down the side of his neck. He paused for a moment in the place where Lee’s pulse hammered against the flat of his tongue, before continuing down to the base of this throat, sucking and nibbling on his skin. One of Lee’s hands grasped the back of his head, holding it in place, and he let out a breathy moaning sound as his back arched away from the bed. Gaara clamped his hand over Lee’s mouth and pulled away to look down at him.

“You have to be quiet,” he whispered. “Can’t wake anyone up.”

Lee nodded and when Gaara took his hand away from his mouth he whispered. “Sorry. That just felt really good.”

“I know,” Gaara said. “I liked when you did that to me when we were out in the desert. That’s why I’m doing it to you.”

Lee positively beamed at him, eyes shining in the darkness.

“And don’t be sorry,” Gaara murmured. “I like making you make that sound. But it won’t do to have someone hear it and decide to come in and check on us.”

Lee shook his head and Gaara could see a blush rising in his cheeks. Lee blushed so easily but Gaara couldn’t help but feel a thrill at knowing he could be the cause of it. He leaned down and kissed each pink cheek and then Lee’s lips. Lee pushed him back slightly and turned his head to the side.

“Gaara, I have morning breath,” he whispered, looking mortified.

“I don’t care. So do I,” Gaara said impatiently, prodding at Lee’s cheek until he relented and turned his head back so Gaara could kiss him again. He kissed him greedily, thrusting his tongue past Lee’s lips over and over until the tiny  _ mmm _ sounds that Lee was making, turned into a definitely audible, sighing  _ Ohhh. _

“Lee,” Gaara whispered, trying hard not to laugh. “You have to stay quiet.”

“It is difficult,” Lee complained, running his hands down Gaara’s sides in a way that made him shiver. “How are you able to  _ not  _ make noise?”

“I’m a quiet person,” Gaara replied. 

Lee nodded, running his hands up Gaara’s back and down his arms. “I never imagined you would be like this, you know.”

“Like what?”

“So . . . passionate.” Lee said the word reverently, like a whispered prayer. “So intense, almost demanding.”

Gaara couldn’t help but smile at the look of awe on Lee’s face. “Did you spend a lot of time imagining?”

Lee turned very red and didn’t answer.

“Well, I did,” Gaara whispered in his ear. “And actually, I imagined you would be a lot more passionate, reckless even. But you’re always so careful, I could almost believe you were shy.”

Lee turned redder still and shook his head vehemently. 

“Gaara, you have no idea. . .” His voice trailed off and he made a frustrated growling sound that caused Gaara’s pulse to accelerate wildly. His hands tightened their grip around Gaara’s waist just the tiniest fraction.

“I have been trying,” Lee explained carefully, as though weighing his words. “To take this slowly. I do not know yet what you are okay with or where your boundaries are. I do not want to do anything that would make you feel overwhelmed or upset. This is one time where I cannot dive in head first”

“What do you want to do that you think I would find overwhelming or upsetting?” Gaara asked, intrigued.

“My point is,” Lee went on. “It is very important to me that if I am going to do this, I am going to do it the right way. You are very precious to me, and I want everything to be perfect.”

“Hmm,” Gaara considered, rolling to the side so he and Lee could lay facing each other on the narrow bed. “You’re right. Tell me about your boundaries then.”

Lee laughed softly and reached out to brush a few stray strands of hair away from Gaara’s eyes. “Gaara, I am so crazy about you, I would do anything you asked me to.” He stopped, hesitated, “Except. . .”

“Yes?” Gaara prompted.

“Do you remember the thing about my hands?” Lee asked tentatively.

“Of course,” Gaara nodded.

“Well, my whole body is like that, really,” Lee admitted. “I am very self conscious about it.”

“Scars, you mean?”

“Not just that.” Lee sighed heavily. “It is probably the same as what you said about my hands; my shinobi way is witnessed by every scar and every broken bone. It is just. . “

“Go on,” Gaara encouraged.

“If it is difficult for me to look at myself in the mirror,” Lee said quietly. “I am afraid to let anybody else look at me. Or touch me.”

“I see,” Gaara whispered.

“Not that I do not want you to,” Lee said quickly. “I want you to. It is just very difficult.”

“I understand,” Gaara told him, lifting Lee’s hand to kiss his knuckles.

“I knew you would,” Lee whispered.

“Some things are difficult for me as well,” Gaara told him. “Sometimes it is hard for me to accept that you feel anything for me. I know I don’t deserve it. And everytime I try to tell you . . . tell you that I love you, I feel so vulnerable it terrifies me. It’s like panic. Usually I want to hold onto you as tightly as I can and beg you to never let me go, but sometimes it’s too much and I have to fight the urge to just run.”

“I worried about that,” Lee whispered.

"That's not what I meant," Gaara said quickly, eyes wide with alarm. "I'm never going to run from you! I'll stay with you as long as you want me, I'm just -" he rolled over so that he was facing away from Lee and stared hard at the far wall. "I'm terrified of what will happen to me when you no longer do."

“No, Gaara,” Lee sighed as he wrapped his arms around him, tucking Gaara’s back up against his chest. “You deserve every bit of love I could ever possibly give you. You do not have to believe me now, but if you stay with me, I will prove it to you.”

“I’d like that,” Gaara whispered, turning back over to press his face into Lee’s shoulder. “You’re right though. We can keep doing what we’re doing, but we should take this slow, be careful with one another.”

“Mhmm,” Lee murmured. “We have all the time in the world.”

“Especially while we’re trapped in this hospital,” Gaara agreed, wriggling closer so he could kiss Lee again.


	2. Catching Up

“Would you sit still, Lee? I need to look at your shoulder,” Sakura said. “Wait, what is  _ that _ ?”

“What?” Lee asked. Sakura pushed his head to the side and peered at his neck. Lee’s eyes went wide in realization and he clamped his hand over the spot quickly.

“It is nothing!”

“Like hell it is,” Sakura insisted. “There’s a big red spot that wasn’t there yesterday. Hold still.”

Lee rolled backwards off the far end of the bed and retreated until his back hit the wall.

“No,” he insisted. “It is nothing.”

Sakura planted her hands on her hips. “If it’s nothing, why are you hiding it? Did you hurt yourself training when you should be resting?”

“No! I was not training, I swear.” Lee shrank back against the wall as Sakura advanced. Gaara meanwhile was watching this scene unfold, sitting with his knees tucked against his chest, a pillow pressed against his mouth to hide his laughter. Sakura pried Lee’s hand away from his neck and inspected the mark. 

“Rock Lee,” Sakura growled. “Is that what I think it is?”

“It is, um, a rash! From staying in bed too long! Not moving! Doing nothing!” Lee improvised desperately.

Gaara couldn’t help it, he laughed out loud and Sakura whipped around to glare at him. She looked back and forth between him and Lee a few times and then crossed her arms in a mimicry of Gaara’s battle pose. 

“Alright, this is how it’s going to go,” She said slowly. “You two are on bed rest, as I have told you about a hundred times now. And that means that you are each supposed to stay in your own beds, separately. If I catch even the slightest hint of something like this happening again, I’ll move Sai in here with you. He’s down the hall, and he’s been recovering nicely since he’s been following doctor’s orders.”

“And you think he’ll be a good influence on us?” Gaara challenged her. “Or that he’ll act as some sort of chaperone?”

Sakura smiled at him dangerously. “Oh no, Sai’s a twisted little creep. He’d probably encourage you two.”

“Huh?” Lee asked.

“Well,” Sakura said. “I figure nothing will kill the mood quite like having Sai in the room staring at you and taking notes.”

“Oh no, he actually would do that,” Lee gasped in horror.

“Yes he would,” Sakura agreed. “And before you say anything, Gaara, I’ve checked the handbook, and I am allowed to do that.”

“How much longer do we have to be here?” Gaara grumbled. 

“That depends,” Sakura said, all sweetness now. “If you will both sit still and let me examine you, and you appear to be healing as you should, I can probably let you go by tomorrow.”

“Alright Lee,” Gaara decided. “You heard her. We’re on our best behaviour until tomorrow.”

* * * * *

“Finally,” Gaara huffed, striding through the hospital door and out into the street. 

“Freedom!” Lee whooped, following at his heels. “What do you want to do now?”

“I have to head over to my office and try to get caught up on everything,” Gaara explained. “But I can meet you for dinner.”

“I have never really seen your office. I always just run in and out quickly,” Lee said. “May I come with you?”

“Of course,” Gaara agreed, reaching for Lee’s hand. “But it’s not very interesting.”

They found Kankuro sitting with his feet up on the Kazekage’s desk, stuffing chips into his mouth while reading a scroll that trailed away across the floor. 

“Kankuro, what happened in here?” Gaara demanded, looking around the room in alarm. 

“Couldn’t figure out your filing system,” Kankuro grunted without looking up. “It makes no sense.”   
The room was littered with paperwork, books, and scrolls. Several filing cabinets stood open and a few drawers had been removed and left on the floor.

“Kankuro, these are sensitive documents!” Gaara complained. “You can’t just leave them lying around!”

Lee left the brothers to their argument and wandered over to the bookshelf behind the desk. There was a surprising collection of fiction interspersed among the botany manuals, jutsu handbooks and historical treatises, a tiny sculpture of the Nine Tails, numerous cacti of varying sizes, a framed photo of two young people whom Lee guessed must be Gaara’s mother and her brother. They looked nearly identical, and Lee couldn’t help feeling he had seen them before. There was also a photo of Gaara himself standing between his siblings, with Baki behind them, smiling beneath his veil. Next to that, a picture of Matsuri and Gaara shaking hands upon her promotion to chunin. Lee turned to look at the desk and his attention was immediately caught by a multi-paneled frame in which flowing ink drawings of a shinobi moved through a sequence of kicks, punches and fighting stances. Upon looking closer, he realized that the shinobi was him.

“I didn’t have any good photos of you,” Gaara explained when Lee picked up the frame. “I’d still like one, but Sai drew those a while ago and he sent them to me as a gift.”

“You keep drawings of me on your desk,” Lee murmured, tears prickling in his eyes.

“Of course I do,” Gaara said. “Kankuro, you’re just making it worse! Is Shizune still here?”

Kankuro snorted. “We’ve renamed their hotel the Little Leaf because half the damn village is staying there”

“Can you go get her, please? She can help me with this, and fill me in on what’s been happening while I was imprisoned.” Gaara decided.

“I can help!” Lee offered. “Just tell me where things go, and I can help clean up.”

“No,” Gaara said. “This is going to take me a while and you still need to catch up with your team. I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Okay!” Lee agreed. “Will you know where to find me when you are free again?”

“Yes, and I promise I’ll come as soon as I can,” Gaara told him. He kissed Lee’s cheek and ushered him out the door. 

Gaara grabbed Kankuro and hauled him back inside as he made to follow Lee.

“Shizune can wait,” he muttered, locking the office door. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay, go for it,” Kankuro said, eyeing the locked door uneasily. 

Gaara retreated behind his desk, sat down and steepled his hands beneath his chin. “It’s about Lee.”

“Is this conversation going to require me to rinse my brain out with alcohol later?” Kankuro asked, sitting apprehensively across from him.

“No, it’s fine” Gaara flipped one hand impatiently. “It’s just that whenever I’m around Lee now I feel a weird. . .thing.”

Kankuro bailed out of his chair and started backing towards the door. “Kid, I am not explaining boners to you.”

“I’m not talking about that,” Gaara snapped. “I’m not a child. Sit down.”

Kankuro obeyed warily.

“It’s almost . . . like pain,” Gaara attempted to explain.

“Ah,” Kankuro nodded sagely. “Blue balls. Happens to the best of us.”

Gaara glared at him. “Would you rather I try to talk to Temari about this?”

“No, for the love of fuck, don’t,” Kankuro gasped, appalled.

“It’s in here,” Gaara pressed his hand to his chest. “But it’s not something negative, not something that should be painful, because I’m almost  _ too  _ happy. I don’t know why it hurts. I’ve never felt this before. It feels almost like. . . longing. But that’s not really the right word for it, because it’s much stronger and sharper than that. I feel like no matter what I do, I can never have enough and it scares me.”

“Enough what?” Kankuro asked carefully.

“Lee,” Gaara replied, dropping his head into his hands and gripping his hair. 

“So what’s the big mystery here?” Kankuro wondered. “You’re not just young and horny. You’re young, horny, and in love. That can really fuck you up.”

“This is something that happens to everyone?” Gaara asked.

“If they’re lucky,” Kankuro shrugged. “Never tell Temari I said this to you, but just get on with it. You’ll feel better.”

Gaara shook his head vehemently and growled, “We're not there yet. We’re taking things slowly, being careful.”

“Okay, as your big brother, I guess I’m glad to hear that,” Kankuro said, nodding. “But the thing I don’t get is how this feeling is a problem? You said yourself that you’re almost too happy.”

“Exactly!” Gaara cried. “I have no control over my feelings for him anymore and sooner or later something will happen that will ruin everything, something that will make Lee realize that he’s better off without me. What am I supposed to do then?”

“Oh, not this shit again,” Kankuro groaned. “Look, I was talking to Sakura at the hospital - by the way, she found out I was sneaking the reports in for you and what she threatened to do to me is too horrible to repeat - and anyway, she was telling me that Lee has been head over heels for you for ages, long before any of this even started happening. And I’ve heard about how he looked after you after the flood, I saw with my own eyes how he almost got himself killed trying to protect you from that assassin.”

“What’s your point?” Gaara asked.

“Dumbass, my point is, this isn’t some silly, fickle crush. This shit with Lee is the real deal.”

“Yes,” Gaara whispered. “It is, isn’t it.”

* * * * *

Lee hurried through the streets, one arm up to shield his eyes against the sand blown on the howling wind. Somehow it hadn’t seemed to bother him when he was walking with Gaara. The hotel for foreign diplomats was not far from the Kazekage’s tower and Lee opened the door to his team’s room to find that Kankuro had been correct; the place was overrun with Leaf ninjas. 

“They finally let you out of the hospital!” Tenten cried in delight, limping over to hug him. She stood with one bandaged ankle hovering above the ground, every line of her body drooping with exhaustion.

“Where’s Gaara?” Naruto wanted to know. He seemed to be in better shape than the rest of them other than a layer of bandages wrapped around his head.

“In his office,” Lee told him. “Kankuro messed up all his files.”

“And what about Sai? He almost killed himself trying to fly us all out of that flood.”

“Sakura said Sai is getting better quickly,” Lee recalled.

“Speaking of Sakura, we heard you’ve been giving the hospital staff a hard time,” Ino cackled. She removed an ice pack from her swollen eye so she could grin impishly at him.

“We were very bored!” Lee protested. “You all stopped coming to visit!”

“We got busy,” Neji said wearily, not bothering to get up off his bed or remove his arm from across his face. 

“We were sent out to bring down a ring of rogue Sand shinobi!” Naruto shouted. "It was awesome!"

“What about the Kusakage?” Lee wondered. “What’s happening with him?” 

“Our spies tell us that he has retreated to his village and gathered all his shinobi back. Shikamaru is trying to work out his next move.” Neji said. “He will surrender if he knows what’s good for him. Sakura has been working on autopsies when she wasn’t trying to force you and Gaara to sit still, and she found that some of those bodies had been . . . modified. They’ve been using medical ninjutsu to try to replicate kekkei genkai or secret techniques from other clans. Unsuccessfully for the most part, though there is one that Sakura suspects should be able to manipulate ice in a certain way that she says she has only seen once before.”

“Haku,” Naruto agreed sadly.

“This sounds bad,” Lee said, plopping himself down on the bed beside Neji.

“It will be okay,” Ino replied, though the confidence in her voice sounded false. “We’ve managed to bring in or eliminate most of the rogue Sand ninjas and infiltrators. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei have been working with the Sand jounins to find the ones who are working from within the village.”

“Temari is planning to tell the Kusakage that if he turns over Councilman Kiyomori and any other disgraced Sand shinobi he might be harbouring, then we’re willing to forget the ambush and not retaliate,” Neji added. “But these medical modifications are a matter that will have to be discussed among all of our allies before we can decide what happens next.”

“So, it is still not over,” Lee said slowly.

“I’m afraid it’s only just beginning,” Neji replied. "We've managed to prevent a coup that would have turned Suna on its head, but we may have bigger problems now."

“We’ll be okay though,” Choji tried to reassure them. “We’ve been through worse than this.”

“Gaara must be taking it kind of hard though,” Naruto muttered. 

“Well, wouldn’t you?” Hinata piped up.

“That’s what they want,” Neji snapped. “They want to play on his guilt, they want him to believe this is personal and not just a play for power. They’re trying to put some sort of noble, moral coating on their ambition.”

“He knows that,” Naruto argued.

“We may know why they are really doing this," Lee reminded them. "But that does not mean he needs us any less."


	3. Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the reason I decided to give this story an M rating. While there is no sexually explicit content, one character's internal monologue is a bit on the thirsty side, and there is mention/brief description of a dick. There is also a very tiny bit of ninja themed sexual innuendo, for which I apologize.

The sun was sinking below the village wall and Lee was finishing his cool down stretches after his final set of one hundred laps around the village when a soft voice behind him called his name. He turned quickly to sweep Gaara up in a hug.

“There you are!” he shouted.

“Sorry, I’ve only just left my office. Everything was out of order, and there’s a lot of extra paperwork with everything that’s going on.” Gaara apologized.

“That is okay,” Lee said, scooping Gaara off his feet and spinning him around enthusiastically. “Your job is important.”

“Are you busy?” Gaara asked breathlessly. “I want to show you something.”

“I have just finished training for the day,” Lee said. “Let me take a shower quickly and then we can go.”

Gaara trailed after him up to his hotel room and stood uncomfortably by the door while Lee disappeared into the bathroom.

“So, this is the room where everyone hangs out?” he asked the many pairs of eyes that had turned to stare at him.

“Not Shikamaru,” Ino snickered. “He’s been staying at your house.”

“Why are you standing by the door?” Naruto called. He patted the mattress he was sitting on. “Come in, have a seat.”

Gaara sat gingerly beside Naruto. Exhausted and injured young shinobi were draped over every surface in the room that had so much as a little cushioning. On the other bed, Neji appeared to be fast asleep, flat on his back with Tenten lying next to him, her head pointed in the opposite direction, bandaged ankle propped up in the centre of his chest. 

Hinata uncurled herself from where she had been lounging against Akamaru’s flank and came to sit directly next to Gaara. “So was it terribly romantic? Lee told us about how you two survived the flood and walked to Wind Country together.”

“We were both injured and exhausted. I slept through most of the first day because I was too weak to do anything else. Lee had to carry me,” Gaara said. “Yes, I suppose it was terribly romantic.”

Hinata squealed and Neji startled awake, grimacing as his face smacked against the sole of Tenten’s foot. The group of friends seemed to come back to life all at once. They crowded around Gaara, trapping him between Naruto and Hinata, eyes eager. 

“Sakura told us that you two refused to be separated in the hospital,” Ino gushed.

“Very literally,” Naruto added, winking and nudging Gaara with his elbow.

“That part wasn’t really romantic,” Gaara grumbled. “I hate being in the hospital. But I like spending time with Lee, so it was almost okay.”

“Aww,” Tenten sighed. “So you two are going out together tonight, right?”

Gaara nodded.

“And what time will you be bringing our precious baby son, Rock Lee, home?” Tenten demanded, giggling as she patting Neji’s head with her uninjured foot. “His father and I do worry about him so.”

Neji swatted at her. “Don’t keep him out too late, please. He makes a terrible racket when he comes home and always wakes me up.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Gaara murmured as the bathroom door burst open and Lee emerged, fully dressed again, hair just a little damp.

“Guys! You are making Gaara very uncomfortable!” Lee exclaimed, grabbing Gaara’s hand and towing him away from their nosy friends. 

Outside the room, Lee said, “Sorry about them. I am beginning to think they are all just a little jealous.”

“Too bad for them,” Gaara laughed softly. “Anyone of them could have asked you out a long time ago. They missed their chance and now you’re mine.”

“That is not what I mean,” Lee protested, his ears turning red. “So, what did you want to show me?”

“My greenhouse,” Gaara said. “Do you want to see it?”

“Of course!” Lee cried.

Gaara led him by the hand back towards the Kazekage’s tower, past the house he shared with Kankuro and Temari, across an open expanse of sand until they reached a large glass building which glowed in the last rays of sunlight. He opened the door and led Lee into another world that was vibrantly green and awash with flowers. He watched as Lee’s jaw dropped open and he stood spinning in place, trying to take it all in.

“You grew all this?” Lee breathed. 

Smiling, Gaara led him up and down each row of plants, pointing out the common and scientific names of each one, hand painted on the terracotta pots, explaining their uses, their meanings, and what he liked about each one. He showed Lee the collection of fruit trees he had been carefully nurturing, his most prized camellias, peonies and rhododendrons.

“I think this one is for you,” Gaara said. He plucked a single butter yellow camellia blossom, tinged with pink around the edges of the petals, and wove its stem into the bandages on the back of Lee’s wrist.

“Thank you,” Lee said, smiling brilliantly.

“Do I get to kiss you now?” Gaara asked.

“Of course!” Lee cried, and before Gaara could react, Lee had scooped him up and set him on the potting bench. Seated on the bench, he was slightly taller than Lee and had to bend his head down to kiss him. Lee stood between Gaara’s knees, face tilted up towards Gaara’s like a sunflower leans towards the light, still smiling even as he kissed him.

“You seem happy,” Gaara murmured against his lips.

“Of course I am,” Lee said, drawing back a bit. “I know that these are not the best conditions, but this is the most time I have been able to spend with you in ages. I can just go on kissing you for days!”

“We have to take a break sometimes, Lee,” Gaara reminded him, smiling despite himself. “We both have jobs to do.”

“Yes, but we can do that together too sometimes,” Lee said, nuzzling his face into Gaara’s shoulder. “I wish it could be like this all the time!”

“Do you?” Gaara breathed, his thoughts suddenly rushing much too quickly ahead of him.

In answer, Lee stepped closer and kissed him again. Gaara wrapped his legs around Lee’s waist, and grabbed the collar of his vest to pull him closer. 

“I have one more plant I would like to show you,” Gaara rasped when he finally let Lee pull away, pink cheeked and glassy eyed.

“Okay,” Lee agreed, still sounding a little dazed. 

Gaara slid off the bench and led him back out of the greenhouse, careful to lock the door behind him, then continued on towards his house. Lee hesitated at the front door, but Gaara drew him across the threshold, up the round sweeping staircase and along the hall. He opened the heavy wooden door of his bedroom and pulled Lee inside, shutting the door behind them. 

“Everything is red,” Lee said softly. “Is this your bedroom?”

He was looking around with great interest, eyes lingering on the big elaborately carved bed with its red quilt and red gossamer hangings. The smooth stone walls were decorated with all the pictures he couldn’t display in his office; silly ones of Kankuro and Temari, hundreds of pictures of his favourite plants, a photograph of him and Naruto side by side in a restaurant, Naruto’s arm wound tightly around Gaara’s shoulders as he made a silly face at the camera with noodles trailing out of his mouth. On the wall above the dresser was a slightly blurred photograph of Lee, taken on a trip to the beach nearly a year earlier, smiling behind his sunglasses, his body buried in sand.

“Of course this is my room,” Gaara said. “Really I spend a lot more time in my office but I like this room, no one comes in here but me.”

“But I am in here now,” Lee pointed out.

“You’re a special case,” Gaara reminded him. “Come here, this is what I wanted to show you.”

On a wooden stand under one of the room’s porthole windows, there was a red ceramic plant pot, tied about with a green ribbon. The little plant it contained had sprouted a single bud, just beginning to show a hint of red petals in the centre.

“What is this one?” Lee asked. “It has no label.”

“This is its label,” Gaara explained, pointing at the green ribbon. “It’s a rose. I grew it from a cutting of the one you gave me when we went on our date. It’s just about to flower again.”

“You kept it,” Lee sobbed, hiding his face in his hands. “And you made it grow.”

“Of course I did, Lee. You gave it to me,” Gaara replied, as he was caught up in a bone crushing hug.

“Lee?”

“Yes, Gaara?” Lee smiled as Gaara brushed the tears away from his face.

“Stay with me tonight. Don’t go back to the hotel,” Gaara whispered.

“Okay,” Lee agreed. “Are you staying up again tonight?”

“No, tonight we’re sleeping,” Gaara decided.

“Where should I sleep?” Lee asked.

“Here,” Gaara gestured at the big bed. “If a hospital cot is big enough for both of us, this one certainly is.”

Lee went very still, his eyes wide.

“Gaara,” he said slowly. “I thought that we were, you know, taking this slowly.”

“Oh!” Gaara took a step back. “I don’t mean it like that! I just mean sleep, actual sleep. And kissing, of course. But that’s all. I’m not ready to . . .”

Lee brightened immediately. “It will be like a sleepover!”

“A what?” 

“A sleepover! You know, like when you were younger, and all your friends would come over and you would stay up late eating snacks and playing games,” Lee explained.

“I never did that,” Gaara said.

“It is never too late to start!” Lee declared.

“Wait,” Gaara said suddenly. “I said kissing, is that something you did at your sleepovers?”

“No, not me,” Lee said, laughing. “No one wanted to kiss me. Other people did though, you know, playing truth or dare or spin the bottle. If I remember correctly, that is when things started to get complicated between Neji and Tenten.”

“Why didn’t anyone want to kiss you?” Gaara asked, bewildered.

“All my friends think I am very weird. And they are scared of my eyebrows,” Lee shrugged.

“They don’t know what they’re missing,” Gaara murmured, standing on his toes to kiss Lee. “And now they never will. Only I get to kiss you.”

Lee made a noise of agreement against his lips but pulled away suddenly. “My pajamas and toothbrush are still at the hotel!”

“Just use mine,” Gaara shrugged. He slipped out of Lee’s arms and hurried to the dresser to retrieve a set of red silk pajamas which he handed to Lee. “My bathroom is through that door.”

“You have your own bathroom?” Lee asked incredulously.

“Of course. Nothing could compel me to share a bathroom with Kankuro. It’s awful; purple paint and dirty towels everywhere. Plus he never labels anything so you never know what’s poison.” Gaara shuddered. 

Lee ducked into the bathroom and within minutes Gaara heard laughter.

“Do you have a bigger shirt?” Lee’s voice called through the door. “This one will not go on.”

Gaara rifled through the dresser until he found a t-shirt Naruto had once given him as a souvenir with the logo of his favourite ramen shop on the front. Gaara normally only wore it to the greenhouse, but it would work for Lee’s pajamas. Lee opened the door just a crack, and Gaara passed the t-shirt through. 

“Ichiraku!” He heard Lee exclaim.

Lee emerged from the bathroom moments later and struck a pose that was eerily reminiscent of Gai. “What do you think?”

Gaara thought a lot of things that he decided he probably should not say out loud. Not yet, anyway. The t-shirt fit a bit too snug across Lee’s chest and shoulders, and the red pajama pants were several inches too short and perhaps just a little too narrow across the hips. 

“Gaara, you are staring at me,” Lee pointed out. “Is something wrong?”

“No, everything is great,” Gaara said, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to get ready now too.”

He slipped into the bathroom with his own set of pajamas tucked under his arm and leaned his back against the closed door. 

“What was I thinking?” he whispered to himself. In the hospital, there had been limitations to what they could get away with. There was always the risk that someone else would walk into the room, and despite their protestations to Sakura and the other staff, they had both been a bit the worse for wear. Now, they were completely alone in Gaara’s room. Sure, Temari and Kankuro were in the house somewhere but it was a big house and neither of them would ever come into his room uninvited. There was nothing to get in the way now except their own agreement to take things slowly (and right now Gaara was having a hard time remembering why he had suggested that).

“It will be fine,” Gaara told himself as he brushed his teeth, his eyes fixed on the reflection in the mirror of Lee’s jumpsuit hanging on the back of the door. “We’re both adults. We can control ourselves.”

He walked back out of the bathroom to find Lee sitting on the edge of the bed, carefully unrolling the tape from around his hands and spooling it up. He placed the two rolls carefully on the nightstand, balancing the camellia flower on top, and Gaara’s knees went weak. Just for a moment, he let himself imagine Lee doing this every night, leaving his things on  _ his  _ nightstand, on  _ his  _ side of  _ their  _ bed. Temari had insisted to him that it was too soon to think of that kind of thing, so he pushed the thoughts away. 

“So what do you want to do now?” Lee asked him, bare hands splayed over his knees.

“It’s late,” Gaara said, eyes fixed on those hands. “We had better get in bed.”

He turned the light out and crossed the room, sliding into the bed, as Lee climbed in from the other side.

“Your sheets are green,” Lee pointed out. 

“Sometimes I like other colours,” Gaara grumbled, very glad Lee couldn’t see his face well in the dark. “And you’re one to talk.”

Silence fell. They each lay perfectly still, facing each other on the pillows.

“This feels differently than it did in the hospital,” Lee finally whispered.

“I know,” Gaara replied. “Can I come closer?”

“Yes.” Lee held out his arm and Gaara slid across the bed, tucking himself up against Lee, legs twining together, slippery in silken pajamas.

“I never would have guessed you were so cuddly,” Lee said with his mouth pressed against Gaara’s hair. “To someone who does not know you well, you are a very intimidating person.”

“It’s you,” Gaara mumbled, twining his fingers idly into the hair at the back of Lee’s head. “You’re cuddly and it’s contagious.”

Lee snorted. “I bet everyone would be very surprised if they ever found out that the Kazekage is just a giant teddy bear. Do not worry, I will never tell.”

“Considering that I am trying to overcome a reputation as a violent jinchuriki, I don’t think people finding out that I can’t keep my hands off you will really do my reputation any damage.” Gaara scoffed.

They were silent again, wrapped up in each other, breathing together.

“I am a bit nervous right now, but I am not sure why,” Lee confessed suddenly.

“It’s because we never get to be alone, not really, not like this anyway, and we’re not used to it,” Gaara told him.

“So what do we do now?” Lee asked.

“Now,” Gaara whispered. “You just kiss me.”

“Oh,” Lee sighed, tilting Gaara’s chin up. “That I can do.”

* * * * * 

Gaara was awakened in the early morning by Lee proclaiming loudly, “Do not worry, Gaara! Neji cannot see us if we hide in the refrigerator!”

“I’m pretty sure the Byakugan can see through refrigerators,” Gaara mumbled sleepily. Lee only snored in response.

Gaara lifted his head off the pillow to look at Lee and his heart nearly jumped clear out of his chest. Lee was sleeping on his back, arms and legs splayed out in all directions, hair falling messily across the pillow. He had kicked all the blankets away from himself in the night. The t-shirt he was wearing had bunched itself up around his ribs, and the the drawstring of his pants had come undone, red silk sliding on an angle over his hips, leaving his stomach exposed along with one hip bone and a ridge of sculpted muscle tapering suggestively down into his crooked waistband. Gaara’s eyes trailed along that line of muscle, fascinated, and his breath caught in his chest. He knew it was just because it was morning, nothing to do with him, after all he was experiencing the same thing. But he still couldn’t quite convince himself to stop staring at Lee’s erection, clearly outlined under the thin fabric of pajama pants that fit a little too tightly. He had been aware of it before of course, bumping up against his hip as they kissed, but Lee had always seemed to go out of his way to hide it from him. And now it was so close, so undisguised, Gaara could even make out the thick vein that ran along the underside its length, pulse twitching slowly as Lee slept. He could reach out right now and pull the waistband just a little bit lower and he would be able to see it, maybe even touch it. As though it had a mind of its own, his hand began inching across the sheets. Gaara realized what he was doing, grabbed his own hand and held it tightly against his chest, breathing hard. This wouldn’t be right. Lee was sleeping. They had agreed to take things slowly and carefully. He needed to get a hold of himself. 

He flopped back against the pillows with a frustrated whimper and Lee rolled over in his sleep, gathering Gaara into a vice like grip against his chest with his erection pressed insistently up against the base of Gaara’s spine. Lee shifted against him and made a rumbling sound in his chest that caused Gaara to shiver from his toes up to the top of his head. He nuzzled his face against the back of Gaara’s head, humming contentedly and then abruptly fell still. Gaara could tell he was holding his breath. Slowly and deliberately, he shifted his hips back so that they were no longer touching Gaara. 

“Awake?” Lee murmured.

“Mm,” Gaara replied, quickly feigning innocent sleep.

In a sudden movement, Lee let go of Gaara and sprang up so that he was hovering above him on his hands and knees.

“Sleep well?” Lee asked, pressing kisses against Gaara’s hairline. 

“Still sleeping,” Gaara lied.

“Yes! Stay here and sleep. I will make you breakfast.” Lee declared, launching out of the bed. Halfway across the room, he skidded to a halt, turned around and came back again to press one more kiss against the corner of Gaara’s mouth, whispering, “You are so beautiful.”

Gaara smiled into his pillow as Lee sped out of the room.

* * * * *

Kankuro followed the scents of cooking and fresh coffee into the kitchen, his mouth watering even as his still groggy brain rebelled against the sheer amount of noise emanating from the room. He came to a halt in the doorway, resisting the urge to check that this was not a genjutsu. The radio over the kitchen sink was blaring and Lee was humming along happily and dancing in place as he stirred several pans over the stove. 

“Can’t say this is surprising,” Kankuro grumbled to himself.

Lee turned around at the sound of his voice and positively beamed at him.

“Good morning, Kankuro!” He exclaimed, turning the music off. “Do not worry! I am making enough breakfast for everyone.”

“Isn’t it kind of early for you to be in my house,” Kankuro griped, deciding he might as well get some fun out of this whole awkward situation.

“Oh. Well, no, not really,” Lee said, already looking flustered.

“You’re wearing Gaara’s pajamas,” Kankuro pointed out helpfully.

“Yes.” Lee tugged at the hem of the t-shirt. “I left mine at the hotel so he let me borrow his.”

“So you stayed here then?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Oh man, I’m sorry.” Kankuro said, fighting to keep a straight face. “If I had known I would have let you stay on the couch in my studio. It’s way more comfortable than the one in the living room. You must be awfully sore.”

“No, I am fine, thank you.”

“Really?” Kankuro prodded. “Every time I take a nap on that couch, I end up walking funny for a while.”

“I did not sleep on the couch,” Lee admitted, turning spectacularly red.

“Where on earth did you sleep then?” Kankuro wondered as innocently as possible.

“I uh, slept in Gaara’s room.”

Lee’s face was so red that Kankuro was beginning to worry he might pass out. He did not want to have to explain that to his brother.

“Yeah, don’t worry, I got that,” Kankuro confessed. “I’m just messing with you. So much for taking things slowly though, huh?”

“What?” Lee looked genuinely confused. “Oh! No, it was not that! We were just sleeping!”

Kankuro leaned towards Lee over the counter. “Do you think I’m an idiot, or something?”

“Of course not!” Lee protested. “It is the truth!”

“Dude, come on. It’s one thing for you to sleep with my little brother, and quite another for you to lie right to my face about it,” Kankuro warned him.

“I am not lying,” Lee said desperately. “We have to be slow and careful. That is what we agreed. You have to believe me, I swear we were just sleeping. And cuddling. And you know, kissing. But that is all!”

“Wow, okay. No need to go into detail. I believe you!” Kankuro raised his hands in defeat.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Temari’s voice asked from the doorway.

“Lee spent the night with Gaara,” Kankuro said quickly, grinning as Lee began to turn red again.

Temari glared at him, her hands on her hips. “It’s a bit soon for that, don’t you think?”

“Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?” Shikamaru grumbled, shuffling into the kitchen in his boxers and heading straight for the coffee maker.

“No,” Temari insisted. “It’s different! They’re too young!”

“I’m the same age as Gaara,” Shikamaru pointed out. “And I was a lot younger when we -”

“You’re not helping!” Temari snapped.

“I swear to you,” Lee cried. “We did not-”

“Oh come on, Lee,” Shikamaru interrupted. “I just woke up and you’re already bumming me out. You can’t mean that you spent the night here and still somehow struck out?”

“I was not trying to -!”

“Maybe his smoke bombs went off while they were still in his pocket!” Kankuro suggested gleefully.

“No!” Lee shouted.

“Maybe he couldn’t even get the Hidden Lotus to bloom in the first place,” Temari chimed in, suddenly warming to the theme of the morning’s entertainment.

“That does not even make sense!” Lee objected.

“Quit tormenting Lee.”

All four of them spun around at the sound of Gaara’s voice.

“Gaara!” Lee cried. “I was going to bring your breakfast to you so you could sleep in.”

“I know,” Gaara said. “I heard them giving you a hard time and decided to come help out.”

“Help them or me?” Lee asked, laughing.

“I still haven’t decided.” Gaara laughed as well.

“Okay, but seriously,” Kankuro said. “Is he telling the truth? You two didn’t, you know?” He made a suggestive hand gesture.

“No, we did not,” Gaara confirmed. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“That’s kind of weird,” Kankuro told him. “Why the hell not?”

Temari threw a spatula at his head. 

“Lee, bring the breakfast upstairs and don’t leave any for these jackals,” Gaara commanded.

“No! Come on, bro, we’ll behave,” Kankuro pleaded. “I’m starving.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t even making fun of Lee!” Shikamaru chimed in. “I even called Temari a hypocrite. This could be my last meal.”

“Temari  _ is _ a hypocrite,” Gaara said, shrugging as his sister squawked in indignation. “Fine, we’ll eat in the dining room, you’ll all be nice to Lee, and you’ll do the dishes after.”

He crossed the kitchen to wrap his arms around Lee and kiss the back of his neck. “Sorry about them.

“I do not mind at all,” Lee assured him, laughing as he gathered a stack of plates. “I told you, they are all jealous.”

“We are  _ not _ !” Kankuro protested.

“No, you definitely are,” Gaara said, pressing his cheek against Lee’s shoulder blade while Lee added a few final ingredients to one of the pans.

“Oh good, are we making fun of Kankuro for the rest of the morning?” Shikamaru asked.

“Come to think of it, Kankuro seems awfully lonely,” Temari teased as they trailed into the dining room. “Maybe we could find someone nice to set him up with.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake! Not this again!” Kankuro whined.

Gaara smiled against Lee’s back and squeezed him a bit tighter.

“Are you okay?” Lee asked.

“Yes,” Gaara whispered. “Everything is perfect.”

He only wished it could stay this way, at least for a little while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While the Worthwhile Series has a several more stories upcoming, I have decided to take a break from posting it during the month of October. Instead I'll be focused on seeing how many prompts I can fill for GaaLee bingo. So there will still be at least one new story every week, but they might not necessarily be on Saturdays and will mostly be one shots. I will return to posting Worthwhile on my regular Saturday schedule in November.  
> In the meantime, once the bingo prompts are posted, if you have an idea for one that you'd like to see me write, let me know and I'll do my best to write it for you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can find me over on [tumblr](https://lilac-writes.tumblr.com/) where I am always happy to hear from readers if you want to stop by and say hello!


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